Snare drums have long been a popular percussion instrument and typically include a drum shell having upper and lower drumheads adjustably connected to the shell by foundation pillars and tension bolts. A snare strainer assembly is connected to the shell so that a plurality of individual snares are carried just below the lower drumhead to vibrate against the lower head and produce the "snare" sound when the upper drumhead is struck. The snares are connected at one end to a snare anchor and at the other end to an adjustable snare strainer which allows a percussionist to adjust the tension on the snares to obtain a crisp snare sound.
It is often desirous to shift the snares of a snare drum away from the lower drumhead so that the drum when struck will produce a "tom-tom" sound. It is also desirous to be able to switch the snares rapidly back into contact with the head. This is especially true with field drums commonly used in marching bands and drum and bugle corps.
Heretofore, shiftable snare strainers have relied on a hinged arm and over center latch arrangement radially shiftable between locked up position wherein the snares vibrate against the lower drumhead and a down position wherein the snares are spaced from the head. Problems associated with the prior art shiftable snare strainers are two fold. First the radial movement of the arm requires excessive movement by the percussionist. This is especially bothersome while the percussionist is playing and needs to rapidly switch between the tom-tom and snare sounds of the drum. Secondly, the prior art snare strainers use an over-center latch arrangement to lock the handle and the snare strainer in the up or snare position. This over-center locking arrangment places excessive stress on the snares thereby presenting great difficulty in maintaining consistent pressure on the snares over repeated cycling of the strainer between the tom-tom snare positions. Without continued adjustment of the tension on the snares, the snare sound becomes loose and unappealing.